


Breaking Point

by mammothluv



Category: Saving Grace
Genre: Community: femslash09, F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-13
Updated: 2010-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-06 06:03:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mammothluv/pseuds/mammothluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhetta's freaking out.  Grace wants to help.  Set immediately after "Watch Siggybaby Burn."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking Point

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [](http://ilbelfarniente.livejournal.com/profile)[**ilbelfarniente**](http://ilbelfarniente.livejournal.com/) for the beta! Written for sadieflood in femslash09. Saving Grace belongs to TNT. I'm not making any profit and no copyright infringement is intended.

_When you were little and Grace was mad at you, she could avoid you for days. She'd ignore the notes you passed her in class and find someone else to play with at recess. You'd drop by her house after school and she'd refuse to come out. But, after a few days, she'd answer the door and run outside with you like nothing had ever happened. _

Louie's is loud as usual. Normally you feel perfectly comfortable in the crowd but tonight the laughter, the shouts, and the sound of the TVs in the background form a cacophony that grates on your nerves.

You've been here for over an hour and Grace hasn't said a word to you. She's been pissed since you broke Siggybaby and she's punishing you with the silent treatment. Or maybe you’re punishing her. After all, you're the one who's been sitting at the end of the table all night silently watching her flirt with Ham and, if you're honest with yourself, feeling just a little bit jealous.

You're trying to stay angry but you've been through enough of these fights to know that you'll be the one to cave first. When Ham gets up to grab another round you take the chair next to Grace. You don't have the energy to drag it out tonight.

"You ruined my time capsule," you say. Probably not the best opening when you're hoping for a reconciliation, but you know from experience that all you have to do is talk first.

"You decapitated Siggybaby," she replies. She pulls a cigarette out of the pack and twirls it between her fingers a few times before lighting it and taking a drag.

"You deserved it."

"I did not. Shit, Rhetta, you're just pissed because you're losing your house and you haven't been laid in over a month." She takes another drag of her cigarette and looks at you. She's not mad anymore but the look on her face says she's willing to drag this out for a while just for the fun of it.

"No, Grace. I'm pissed because you destroyed my precious childhood memories." It sounds ridiculous even to you but you're in the mood to be dramatic.

Grace laughs. "Your precious childhood memories? Fuck, I think you had a Carly Simon 8-track, baseball cards, and a plastic microscope. Besides, I was ten. You're forty-six. I think you oughta be a little more mature than I was."

"I'm sick of being mature, Grace. I want to scream. I want to break things. I just. Everything sucks - losing the house, my marriage, the church - and I feel like if I don't do something..." You stop. The last thing you need is to end the evening sobbing in bar full of people including your coworkers but you're sure that's where you're heading.

Before you can attempt a somewhat graceful exit, Grace has an arm around you and is planting a soft kiss on your forehead. The sense of relief you feel at the simple gesture is overwhelming. You lean into her embrace and it occurs to you that this is what you've needed all day.

Grace throws a few bucks on the table, jumps up, grabs your hand and pulls you toward the exit.

"Where are we going?" you ask.

"To my house. We're going to break shit."

_Your parents used to argue about money like you and Ronnie do now. You'd worry about them until you made yourself sick. Grace would stay the night and together you would sneak out. Some nights you'd stand by the tracks and wait for the train. As it roared by, the two of you would scream as loud as you could knowing no one would hear you. _

Grace grabs a stack of dishes from the kitchen counter and hands you a plate.

"Seriously?" you ask.

"Seriously. You said you wanted to break things. Shit, either we break 'em or I'm going to have to wash 'em eventually."

"What about Gus?"

"Gus is in the bedroom, safe from any flying fine china."

She grabs two beers from the fridge and sets one down next to you. She leans against the counter and takes a drink from hers, watching you expectantly.

"I don't know that I'd refer to your dishes as fine china," you say, examining the dirty plate in your hand.

"Oh, come on." She picks up a mug and hurls it at the wall. It doesn't break, just falls to the floor with a thud. "Fucking Eric Phan going after my fucking family." She throws a plate and this time it shatters into several pieces when it hits the wall. You watch the pieces fall to the floor.

Suddenly you feel Grace behind you. She whispers in your ear, "Come on, Rhetta. It felt good. You know you want to." You shiver at the feel of her breath against your ear.

If you're going to let go and let this out, now with Grace is the time. You throw the plate as hard as you can. It hits the wall and shatters.

"Yes," Grace says as she hands you a bowl.

"Fuck!" you scream as you slam the bowl against the wall as hard as you can.

_When your granddad died, the granddad whose truck you husband is auctioning off tomorrow, Grace was the only one you'd let near you. Everyone else had questions or advice and you couldn't stomach any of it. Grace was different. She knew exactly what you needed and she did it, no questions. _

"Shit, Rhetta," Grace says as she surveys the shards of dishes scattered on her floor. "We're gonna have to buy me some new dishes."

Laughing, you wrap your arms around her. "Thank you, Grace."

When you pull back, Grace leans in and softly brushes her lips against yours. Before you can think about what you’re doing, you have her pressed against the counter and you're kissing her hard. If she's surprised, she doesn't show it. In fact, she kisses you back and gently bites your lower lip.

"We shouldn't be doing this," you say. You don't expect her to take you seriously because, even as you say it you're using your knee to part her legs just slightly.

"Come on. Ronnie lost your fucking house. So you screw your best friend and you're practically even." She plants a soft kiss on your neck and starts to unbutton your shirt.

"Bullshit," you say.

"Do you care?"

You do care. You should care. You're a scientist, you pride yourself on your ability to reason, to be calm and objective when other people can't. And that part of your brain is telling you to stop. You don't cheat. You keep your vows. But there's another part of you, the part that's responsible for the fact that your hand is now inside Grace's shirt and gently cupping her breast, that says you break all your other rules for Grace so why not this one?

"Rhetta, if you want to go. You should go now." She says it quickly like she doesn't really want to but she feels she has to offer. You'd guess you’re only getting this courtesy because you're her best friend. She probably doesn't try to give the rest of the people she sleeps with an out from their bad decisions.

You should take her up on it. You should run out the door and back home as fast as you can. But Grace is the one thing that makes sense to you right now. Her body is warm against yours and the way she's kissing you is the first thing that's made you feel good in weeks. You can worry tomorrow. You can be the faithful wife and the responsible mother tomorrow. For now, you smile at Grace and pull her toward the couch.

_When you were 14 you admitted to Grace that you hadn't really kissed Tommy Levine on your date. You were afraid you'd do it wrong and he'd tell the whole school. Grace leaned in and brushed her lips against yours. "See?" she said. "It's easy." And it was._

The next morning, Grace is sitting next to you on her bed smoking a cigarette and scratching Gus’ head when you wake up.

“Morning,” she says.

You stretch and reach out to pat Gus on the head.

“Grace.” There’s really nowhere to go from there so you just look at her. You’ve always thought Grace was beautiful but, for obvious reasons, you feel like you have a new appreciation of that beauty this morning. You’re pretty sure you’re blushing.

“You’re not gonna freak out are you, Rhetta? It’s too early for that shit.”

“I’m not. But, what is this? What are we doing?”

“Well, we had sex and now you’re freaking out.”

You pick up the nearest pillow and toss it at her head. “Shut up. I’m not freaking out. I’m just thinking.”

“It was what you needed last night. It doesn’t have to be anything.” She shrugs. “Maybe you just needed to vent.”

“Vent? You slept with me so I could vent? I don’t think that’s how most friends do it, Grace.”

She lets out a loud laugh. “Maybe we’re on to something. I mean we did get a night of great sex so how wrong could we be? Now get your ass out of bed. We have an auction to get to.“

You flinch at the mention of the auction. It’s the first time you’ve thought about Ronnie this morning.

Grace looks at you like she knows exactly what you’re thinking. “Get up, Rhetta. Today I return to the role of the best friend.” She picks your jeans up off the floor and tosses them at you then does an exaggerated curtsey and heads off in the direction of the kitchen.

Even if you believe her, you’re not sure you want everything to be the way it was before last night. But, you suppose it will work for today.

Grace shrieks from the kitchen. “Shit, Rhetta! We’ve gotta clean up these dishes.”


End file.
